Embers
by Tucker's Mayflower
Summary: There's nothing like a heated chase to put you out of your comfort zone. But sometimes, a simple push sends you flying into a new encounter.


_Hello, my little specters! Man, home sweet home - I miss you, my beloved Danny Phantom phandom. Anyway, I typed up this oneshot a while back; it was inspired by a plotbunny by the lovely and imaginative **jeanette9a**, who's got a whole ton of bunnies up for adoption that I highly recommend you guys look at and run rampant with. :D (You just can't have this one. The story-bunch where I got these got pulled down. So this one's mine. Kind of.)_

_Anyway, so I had fun writing this. I hope you guys have fun reading it! :)_

**MESSAGE FROM THE FENTON DISCLAIMER-BOT!:  
**_Danny Phantom_, both the series and the character, as well as all other related characters and locations (c) Butch Hartman

* * *

"You can run, ghost-boy, but you can't hide! Surrender now and spare us both the trouble!"

Danny paused to catch his breath, ducking behind one of the ghost-zone's floating asteroids. What was Skulker expecting? 'Oh, well, if you put it that way, sure, I guess I'll come out.' Has that line actually worked for him before?

Hearing Skulker's blasts come too close for comfort, the halfa hopped into the air, flying off once again. It was a usual game of cat-and-mouse (or hunter-and-half-ghost) between the old rivals, but Danny was at the disadvantage: they were in the ghost-zone, Skulker's home field. He had snuck away to do more work on the Ghost Zone map, which Skulker made sure to vaporize when he showed up, and was now hopelessly lost in the never-ending sea of doors.

What a day to not tell Sam, Tucker, and Jazz what he was up to.

Lime-green eyes scanned the area, darting from door to door in hopes of finding _one _that looked familiar. He needed to shake Skulker off of his tail before they went any further and he got even MORE lost.

There was one that caught his eye. It didn't exactly look COMFORTING, the worn black door covered in blue spray-paint and caution tape, and Danny didn't have a clue who could've lived there.

But the door was open, which was more than he could say for any of the other portals, so he ducked inside.

xxx

Danny slipped behind the door and held his breath, listening for Skulker to pass by. He counted for a few seconds after the jet engines roared past, then relaxed with a sigh. "Made it."

With the danger gone, natural Fenton curiousity kicked in, and Danny decided to explore. The lair was just as dark as the door, dotted with skulls and things on fire. However, it also seemed remniscent of a teenager's bedroom; there were posters of various musicians and bands across all of the walls, and a decorative pillow that read "rock 'n roll princess" sat at the head of a shoddy metal bed.

Danny was admiring the various artwork (especially a Dumpty Humpty poster that he recognized from his own bedroom) when he came across the telltale object in the room: a shiny pink guitar, its neck tipped with flames, covered in all sorts of buttons and switches, sitting on a stand next to the bed.

NOW he recognized the room. Ember McLane.

"Yo, dipstick, what you doin' in my room?!"

_And she was home._

Danny turned to face the rocker, hands up in a modest surrender. "E-Ember, wait, don't be mad, I can explain!"

The guitarist scoffed, arms crossed and platform boot tapping. "A'right, start explainin'."

"Okay, so I came into the ghost-zone, trying to work on my map, and then out of NOWHERE, Skulker showed up, and he chased me all the way down here, and-"

Ember put up a hand to silence the hero. "Say no more," she laughed. "Hide out as long as you need."

The halfa blinked, making sure he had heard Ember correctly. "You...really mean that?"

"Yeah." She walked over and grabbed her guitar, dropping cross-legged onto the bed. "What, you think I'm gonna let Skulker catch you and give him something ELSE to rub in everyone's faces? Please. I'd smuggle the whole ghost-zone in my crib if it ruined Skulk's day."

Feeling _slightly _more safe, Danny continued to glance around the room. "So...this is your lair?"

"I don't call it a LAIR," she corrected, fiddling with the tuning keys on her guitar. "What do I look like, Pariah Dark? This is just my pad. Y'know, my joint, my hang."

"Got it, sorry." Danny couldn't help but keep a nervous eye on Ember and her guitar. "U-Uhm...y-you're not, y'know..."

"I CAN do things with this guitar other than brainwash the masses, ghost-kid," Ember scoffed. "It plays music like a normal guitar, too. I decided to get some rehearsal in. You just decided to crash."

"Sorry."

"You apologize too much. Sit'own, yer making me nervous with your standing." Not wanting to insult his nemesis-turned-hostess, Danny found the first beanbag chair he could and plopped down.

Once satisfied with her tuning, Ember gave her guitar a few strums, giving a pleased nod with the results. "Well, you're already here. Any requests?"

"What kind of stuff do you know?"

"Try me."

Danny's eyes instinctively jumped back to the Dumpty Humpty poster, the one they both shared. He had the entire album memorized; it was his favorite of the DH line-up. "..._Edge of Tomorrow?_"

Ember gave a little smile, silently complimenting her rival's choice, then began strumming the song. It was Danny's favorite, the single he listened to all night while he, Sam, and Tucker slept out in the rain to be first in line for the album release. He wasn't exactly skilled with a guitar, but he knew the tabs to three songs - one of them was _Edge of Tomorrow_, the song that inspired him to pick it up in the first place.

He could never do the piece justice. His fingers were better-suited to playing Doomed than playing an instrument. Ember, on the other hand, was _flawless. _During her takeover of Amity Park, he was a little too busy being brainwashed and trying to protect the town to really listen to Ember's music. Turns out she actually knows how to work the guitar: who knew?

Ember sang the verses alone - not quite the low, chilling vocals of Rand McGoy, but a decent female take on the part. By the chorus, though, Danny couldn't help himself. He joined in, and the two were screaming and headbanging to the best part, not even trying and having too much fun like crazy fans in the mosh-pit of a concert.

The two were laughing when Ember struck the last few notes. "Aw, man, I never get tired of that song!" Danny said, reclining on Ember's bright blue beanbag chair.

"Dude, Dumpty Humpty's ace," Ember agreed. "I didn't know you had such bomb taste in music."

"I LOVE Dumpty Humpty. What'd you think I listened to?"

"I dunno, all that new techno 'n hip-hop-pop crap that's out nowadays."

Danny scrunched his face. "Yuck. Gimmie a shredding guitar solo over that auto-tuned mess any day."

The two got into a detailed conversation about music, a subject which Ember strived to master and Danny could barely scratch the surface. They ranted about how horrible the new Botzi J song was, despite it playing on the radio 24-7. They got into an argument over which band ruled the 80's (Ember was a die-hard Gunbolts fan, while Danny leaned more towards KCBD). They drooled over bands like Dumpty Humpty and Shooting Stars (and Ember got a huge laugh when Danny admitted his man-crush on Rand McGoy).

Ember leaned back to stretch when the conversation finally lulled. "Y'know, Phantom, you're not so bad."

"You think?"

"In my business, you learn to judge people on the music they listen to. Your KCBD can suck it, but yer alright."

Danny laughed. "Nice to know I'm on someone's good side for once." Ember went back to strumming her guitar, fingers itching to play. "...Do you write music, too?"

"You weren't listening at ALL when I toured Amity Park, were you? _Remember _is, like, my jam. That's the most ace song in my set!"

"To be fair, you had me brainwashed so I wouldn't ruin your plans. Apart from the part where you almost took over the world, I don't remember most of it."

"Right. I almost forgot about that part."

"...If you wanted to play it now, I might remember it better."

"...Alright, sure."

Danny leaned back and listened as Ember performed her trademark piece. He vaguely remembered the tune (it WAS really catchy), but never stopped to really listen to the lyrics. Even now, he was missing the words, just because he was too busy just _watching _Ember play.

Quiet and shy as he was, Danny definitely had a thing for girls in black leather and too much make-up. It was the reason he always got caught staring at Sam just a little too long, especially when she would fight with her parents and dress up extra-gothy for the day. Hey, if girls can dream about the bad boy, why can't guys be after the bad girl?

Ember had a look. She was an attention-grabber, a living conversation piece. Even in the shadows of her room, she looked ready for a concert. The lights were low, but her ponytail was alight, giving her face a soft blue glow in the darkness. Her fingers danced across the strings of her beloved instrument, the emotion in her face matching the haunting melody.

_Ember  
You will remember  
Ember  
One thing remains  
Oh, Ember  
So warm and tender  
You will remember my name..._

"Wow. Song's even better than I remember it."

"Thanks. It's...kind of really special to me. I-It was the last song I wrote while I was still alive; I died a little after finishing it."

"Oh." Never REALLY knowing death, at least not as closely as the rest of the ghosts, Danny never really knew how to react when other spectres brought it up. Was it a good thing? A bad thing?

Ember saw the confusion and laughed. "Don't worry about it, it was a long time ago. I'm over it."

There was a long silence, in which Danny realized that time had escaped him. It must have been a few hours since he was chased in by Skulker, which was even an hour or so after he left. It'd be well into the night by the time he got home...if he could GET home. "It must be getting late. I'd better head home before my parents freak out and I get grounded for missing curfew."

The guitarist laughed. "Aw, I remember those days. Get outta here, man, curfew's the worst."

Danny flew over to the door, then paused as he looked around outside. What was the least awkward way to leave, and then wander aimlessly?

Ember saved him from finding out. "Hang a left, then keep flying straight 'til you hit Klemper's ice-rock. Hang a right, then take a left at Skulker's woods, and you'll be back at your portal in no time."

"How do you remember the directions to my house?"

"How else is a girl supposed to get out of here? Plasmius' portal? No thanks."

"Good point. Thanks for the directions!"

...

"Hey, Phantom?"

"Yeah?"

"...Come on back sometime, 'kay? It was nice having company for a change."

"...Alright, I'll take you up on that."

"Maybe when you're NOT being chased by Skulker?"

"No promises on that one."

_But I'll definitely be back - that I CAN promise._

* * *

_Am I the only other person who thinks _Edge of Tomorrow _sounds like _Somebody that I Used to Know?_ XD Hey, what do YOU think the song sounds like? You should leave your ideas in the reviews - and while you're at it, leave a review. :D__ Later, guys! Thanks for reading!  
_

_______**§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §**_


End file.
